Published in 2013, Lauren Weisberger’s contemporary novel Revenge Wears Prada is the sequel to her bestselling 2003 debut, The Devil Wears Prada. The story picks up 10 years after Andrea “Andy” Sachs dramatically quit her job as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the formidable editor of Runway magazine. Now the successful co-founder of a high-end bridal magazine called The Plunge, Andy is about to marry a media heir when her past returns to haunt her. Miranda re-enters her life, now a powerful business adversary seeking to acquire Andy’s company, forcing Andy to confront her past. The novel explores themes of The Lasting Scars of a Toxic Workplace, The Conflict Between Ambition and Personal Well-Being, and The Commodification of Love.

Weisberger’s narrative is informed by her own experience working as an assistant to Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, which provided the inspiration for The Devil Wears Prada and its sequel. This insider perspective allows the novel to function as a sharp satire of the high-fashion publishing industry. Revenge Wears Prada also engages with the early 21st-century cultural phenomenon of the “wedding-industrial complex,” in which celebrity culture and specialized media turned marriage ceremonies into aspirational consumer spectacles. This context is central to the premise of Andy’s magazine, which capitalizes on this very trend. A New York Times bestseller, the novel continues the story that was famously adapted into a successful 2006 film starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

This guide refers to the 2014 Simon & Schuster eBook edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of substance use, addiction, sexual content, cursing, and illness or death.

Plot Summary

On the morning of her wedding to Maxwell “Max” Harrison, Andrea “Andy” Sachs has a nightmare about her former boss, Miranda Priestly, the formidable editor of Runway magazine. In the dream, Max appears on a white horse to rescue her from her assistant duties, declaring that she is done with Miranda. Andy awakens in her bridal suite, comforted by Max. It has been nearly 10 years since she quit her job at Runway, and she is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of a successful high-end wedding magazine, The Plunge. Her fiancé, Max, is the CEO of Harrison Media Holdings. As Andy prepares for the wedding, her future mother-in-law, Barbara Harrison, calls and instructs her to retrieve a family heirloom from Max’s suite. There, Andy discovers a handwritten letter in which Barbara begs Max not to marry her, criticizing Andy’s background and career ambitions. The letter also reveals that Max recently had an “unexpected get-together” with his ex-girlfriend, Katherine, in Bermuda. Horrified by Barbara’s disdain and Max’s secrecy, Andy becomes physically ill. Despite her turmoil, she proceeds with the ceremony, suppressing her doubts as she walks down the aisle to marry Max.

A flashback to 2009 details how Andy and her friend and former Runway colleague, Emily Charlton, sought investors for The Plunge. At a dinner party in the Hamptons, Andy meets Max, a friend of Emily’s husband, Miles, and a potential investor. They connect instantly, and Max confides in her about his sobriety following his father’s recent death from the long-term effects of alcohol use disorder. He also explains that the Harrison family business is in financial distress after the 2008 recession and his late father’s poor investments. The next day, Max commits Harrison Media Holdings as a principal investor in The Plunge. Their professional relationship quickly blossoms into a passionate romance in New York City. When Max introduces Andy as his girlfriend at a company party, she meets Barbara for the first time. Barbara is cold and critical, only showing interest when Andy mentions her past working for Miranda Priestly.

The narrative returns to the day after the wedding. The reception was outwardly perfect, but Andy was privately tormented. She is genuinely sick with a fever and nausea, and they do not have sex. Max senses her distress, but she avoids a confrontation. They cut their mini-honeymoon short as Andy’s illness persists. Back at work, Andy confides in Emily about Barbara’s letter, but Emily is dismissive. Soon after, at the annual Yacht Life magazine party, Miranda Priestly makes an appearance but does not acknowledge Andy. Days later, Emily receives a call from a lawyer at Elias-Clark, Runway’s parent company, requesting a meeting. A week after the wedding, Andy confronts Max about seeing Katherine. He admits it but swears nothing happened. During their fight, Andy reveals she found his mother’s letter. Still feeling ill, Andy goes to the doctor and, spurred by her fight with Max, requests a full panel of STI tests. That evening, the doctor’s office calls to inform her that while the tests are negative, her HCG levels indicate she is pregnant.

Andy eventually tells Max about the pregnancy, and he is ecstatic. At their first ultrasound, they see the baby’s heartbeat and learn she was already pregnant before the wedding. The emotional experience brings them back together, and Andy resolves to move past her doubts. Meanwhile, Andy and Emily meet with Miranda Priestly and Stanley Grogin, Elias-Clark’s general counsel. Miranda, who claims not to remember them, announces that Elias-Clark wants to acquire The Plunge for a staggering sum. Emily is thrilled, but Andy is horrified at the prospect of returning to Miranda’s control, creating a rift in their friendship. Andy and Max later host a dinner to announce the pregnancy to their families. Barbara is polite but controlling. Against Andy’s wishes, Max also announces the Elias-Clark offer. At a Knicks game, Andy and Emily have an unsettling encounter with Miranda, who is there with a celebrity guest. Miranda is surprisingly warm toward a pregnant Andy but cold to Emily. To avoid further conflict, Andy agrees to table the acquisition discussion until after the baby is born.

Andy gives birth to a daughter, Clementine Rose, and the joy of motherhood strengthens her resolve not to work for Miranda. Miranda sends an extravagant baby gift, which impresses Barbara and leads to a rare moment of warmth between Andy and her mother-in-law. Shortly after returning to work, Andy runs into her college boyfriend, Alex Fineman, at the dry cleaner. The chance encounter rekindles her old feelings for him. 

The pressure to sell mounts when Elias-Clark increases its offer. A crisis erupts when a major cover story falls through, and the staff works around the clock to salvage the issue. With the crisis resolved, Miranda invites Andy and Emily to a dinner party at her home, where she is initially charming but soon reveals her intention to completely control The Plunge. As Andy leaves, Miranda corners her and reiterates her demand that Andy sign the papers. Emily remains convinced they should sell. Weeks later, at a brunch for her new-moms support group, a member named Sophie introduces her boyfriend, whom she calls Xander. Sophie has already told the group that she has been cheating on Xander for weeks, and Andy is stunned to recognize Xander as Alex. The encounter is painfully awkward.

Days later, Andy goes to Emily’s apartment and walks in on a secret meeting between Emily, Max, and Miles. They confess they have signed the contract to sell The Plunge to Elias-Clark without her knowledge. Max’s 18% stake combined with Emily’s one-third share created a majority of just over 51%, allowing them to override Andy’s dissent. Max claims he acted in Andy’s best interest, while Emily insists she was looking out for “our best interests” (357). Enraged by their dual betrayal, Andy tells Max their marriage is over. The next morning, she informs Emily that she is resigning from the magazine and that their friendship is finished.

One year later, Andy is divorced and amicably co-parenting Clementine with Max. She works as a contributing editor for New York magazine and is secretly writing a book. While at her grandmother’s shiva, her friend Lily reveals that Alex and Sophie have broken up. A few months later, Alex appears at Andy’s co-working space. He confirms that Sophie confessed her affair and they separated. Alex also reveals that Emily called him after the divorce to tell him Andy was single, believing they were meant to be together. He asks Andy and Clementine to dinner. Andy kisses him, deciding to “dive headfirst into this with reckless abandon” (393), and they kiss again, ready to start a new chapter.